Black Pearl Cupcakes

Posted By Lindsay on October 18, 2009

So I had this idea. Inspired by a cake recipe that used one of the most interesting combination of flavors I’ve seen. Called the “Black Pearl,” this particular cake featured chocolate laced with wasabi and ginger, and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. I couldn’t get it out of my head. And you know what happens when I get something in my head… it has to be made.

I was scared to death of these cupcakes, the first time that’s ever really happened. Taylor was scared too. I told him about my evil wasabi-chocolate scheme and I could see the fear in his eyes (and I don’t blame him, he knew he would have to eat at least one regardless of how disgusting they might be). See, I’ve had cupcake disasters before. Exploding and sinking and bubbling over cupcakes, even some that were just plain inedible. But none of these cupcakes had ever involved *gulp* wasabi. And that scared the crap out of me. I knew that these could go one of two ways, either I’d be too timid with the wasabi and you wouldn’t even be able to taste it, or we’d have smoke coming out of our ears and eyeballs after just one bite. And honestly, I’d prefer the former (obviously), so I was cautious with the wasabi to say the least. And sure enough, you really can’t even taste the stuff. There may have been the faintest tinge of heat in the aftermath of eating one of these dark beauties, but even 1 tablespoon of wasabi can’t compare to a measly 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne in the Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes. Sizzle? No. Delicious? Yes.

My advice? Be brave, but be cautious. Start with 1 tablespoon of wasabi powder, mix it up, taste a bit. Add some more, taste it again. Continue adding at your own discretion. Who’s to say that our wasabi powder wasn’t old and faded (which it very well could have been), thus skewing our results towards the mild side… I just don’t want to be responsible for setting anyone’s mouth on fire.

(And psst!! Remember those super cute, pumpkin “mummy” cupcakes from last weekend? You should really go vote for them in October’s Cupcake Hero! My banana cupcakes came in 5th place in last month’s contest, and I’d really love love love for these to win! Thank you in advance for your vote!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and wasabi. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in coconut milk mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix). Take a quick taste of the batter, and add more wasabi if you feel it is needed.

Pour into liners, filling each with 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be no more than 2/3 full). Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla, ginger, and cream. Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition (depending on the temperature of your butter, you may need more or less sugar/cream to achieve the proper consistency). Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and enjoy!

The Black Pearl is actually a chocolate bar made by the company Vosges (great chocolate!) Ever since I had one a few years ago, I’ve been tinkering with the idea of recreating the flavors in cupcake form. Thanks to you, now I don’t have to come up with my own recipe! I can’t wait to make these.

Katie – the tip is a jumbo closed star tip… purchased from bakeitpretty.com. Much bigger than your standard frosting tips, so you get a nice big swirl. ;)

Simone – exactly the reason for my disclaimer. :) but also keep in mind the tablespoon is spread amongst 12 cupcakes, which leaves very little wasabi in each one. Yes, if you went and ate a tablespoon of wasabi all by itself, you’d probably need medical care, but it’s not as strong when the other factors and ingredients are taken into account. :)

Wasabi – wow! That really puts the chilli chocolate cupcakes I’ve just made into the shade. Not only do your cakes always look fantastic, but you come up with such interesting combinations. Haven’t yet made one of your recipes but I’m gearing up to it.

I love the name–Black Pearl Cupcakes…it sounds exotic and mysterious, all rolled into one. Its an intriguing combination too…wasabi and chocolate. Would you recommend doubling the amount of wasabi powder for a more distinct wasabi flavor? Or do you think it’d overpower the chocolate?

Beautiful, as always! I can see serving these on New Year’s Eve, but I don’t know if I can wait until then. I love ginger and wasabi together when I eat sushi, just haven’t tried them with chocolate, too.

BTW, I was lucky enough to receive a set of the cupcake recipe cards from your wedding. I tucked them into my daughter’s birthday card a couple of weeks ago. She is now a fan of your site as well. Thanks again.

Appreciate the info on the decorating tip. I’ll head over to bakeitpretty.com right now.

OMG. Did you know Nathan loves sweet treats with heat?! He’s gotten chocolate wasabi paletas, and chili/pineapple/tamarind paleta. (Both from Las Paletas) Wow! If you ever make these again, you must share! PLEASE!

I just made these and they are fantastic! The end result, though, makes me think there might in fact be a problem with your wasabi powder. They aren’t *hot* as in, way spicy hot, but you can definitely feel a little bite of wasabi. Mostly they are more aromatic, flavorful, and leave you with a warm sensation. This is with only one tablespoon of fresh wasabi, purchased yesterday.

Oh boy… I really hope I didn’t hurt anyone! heh. I had a feeling that might be the case… actually bought some new wasabi powder this week, going to make another batch of these tomorrow. And I’ll definitely update the recipe if we find them *too* spicy this time!

I made these yesterday and while the idea is AMAZING I don’t think my spices were quite fresh which, as others have said above, is key for a good flavor. I bought my wasabi powder just last week but it was not wasabi-ish in the least!!! I even tasted it straight and felt no sinus explosion :( My ginger was none too fresh either, though that was my own fault. If I make these again I’ll be sure to use fresh ginger and get good wasabi powder. I really liked the cake texture…light and fresh and fluffy! I added a pinch of salt to the frosting but would probably add more for balance.

Hi there! I run a blog called Floptimism, and I’ve started a weekly post called the Weekend Wrap-Up where I feature some of my favorite web finds from the past week. I wanted to let you know that I loved this black sesame cupcake and the beautiful pictures from this post so much that I included it in my round-up. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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